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July 25, 2005

Sony BMG to pay $10 mln to settle Spitzer probe

by Sam Savage

NEW YORK (Reuters) - Sony BMG Music Entertainment will pay
$10 million to settle a New York State probe into the way the
music company influenced which songs were played on the radio,
Attorney General Eliot Spitzer said on Monday.

Under the settlement, Spitzer said Sony BMG agreed to stop
making payments to radio stations in exchange for airplay.

"Our investigation shows that contrary to listener
expectations that songs are selected for airplay based on
artistic merit and popularity, air time is often determined by
undisclosed payments to radio stations and their employees,"
Spitzer said at a press briefing.